Friday, August 5, 2016

There
are three groups (families) of crocodilians: the alligatoridae, which includes
the alligator and the caimans; the crocodylidae, which includes the
"true" crocodiles; and the gavialidae, which contains only the
gharial.

Air Travel is more convenient mainly due to its speed – train
could be more spacious but air the fastest. Movement of merchandise from
one place to another is insured under Marine Cargo insurance. It is not only goods, though not so frequently,
animals also get transported. I had earlier posted on
transportation of - Tomistomaschlegelii in transit and the insurance aspects of
such things in transit. If you are wondering what it is – it is a
freshwater reptile native toMalaysiaandSumatraresembling a crocodile with a very
thin and elongated snout, which is thicker than gharial. That
transportation was arranged in a temperature regulated container with specific
arrangement to keep segregated from the rest of the cargo by a wire mesh.

If you are a Marine Insurer interested in providing coverage for
live animals in transit – experience can be far different from that of meat
animals of chicken, sheep, cattle to others
– one needs to study, analyse and understand the risk a lot.
Besides the health condition of the animal, one needs to understand of
the climate adjustment, how the animal would be placed on the hold
ensuring that it does not become wary and frightened. Generally, animals
are given adequate rest before loading and tranquilisers are not to be
used until sedation is compulsorily required. That giant reptile reached
Chennai safely that time, though insurance was not probable as it was for a zoo
programme.

On Thursday,
AI-981, the 5.20pm Air India flight from Chennai to Ahmedabad had two rather unusual first-time flyers - a
pair of African slender-snouted crocodiles.The critically endangered
crocodiles, on their way to Sundarvan Nature Discovery Centre in Ahmedabad from
the Madras Crocodile Bank, were transported free of cost by Air India as part
of corporate social responsibility. It
is reported that presently, there are no
crocodiles at the Sundarvan Centre.

The female
crocodiles, weighing around 120kg each, were transported in covered boxes and
confined to a separate compartment for safety. Reports quoting the curator of Madras Crocodile Bank, stated that the mouths
of the crocodiles were secured with rubber bands, the animals were not sedated.
"Transport by air is less stressful to crocodiles as the temperature is
controlled inside the aircraft and travel time is much lesser than road travel”
the assistant curator was quoted as adding.
The transportation was in a well-ventilated but covered box to ensure
that the special guests did not feel threatened by a change of environment.

The crocodiles have
been gifted to Sundarvan by the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. At Sundarvan the new visitors will be kept in a newly made enclosure and
will be acclimatized for three weeks to their surroundings before they can be
seen by visitors. The under-construction interpretation zone will allow
visitors to see the reptiles from eye-level.
Zoo official is quoted as stating that the last crocodile of the zoo
died in 2010 of old age. "We had requested the Madras Crocodile Bank in
Chennai, home to over 2,000 crocodiles, to spare us a pair and they graciously
accepted the the proposal," he said.

In 2010, it was a female
crocodile specially flown in from the Ahmedabad zoo for a mating programme in
Chennai, where a healthy male of her species awaited her. The crocodile, a
30-year old Tomistomaschlegelii (or false gharial), flew, landed at Port and driven to a special
enclosure at the Madras Crocodile Bank. Tomistomaschlegelii, a freshwater reptile native to Malaysia
and Sumatra is an endangered species. The false gharial, also known as the
Malayan gharial, resembles a crocodile with a very thin and elongated snout,
which is thicker than the gharial’s.

Nearer the famous
Thiruvidanthai is Madras Crocodile Bank, started in 1976 by herpetologist
Romulus Whitaker at the time when the Indian government protected all three
species of Indian crocodilians under the Wild Life Protection Act of 1972. Now it is stated that there are more than
1,800 crocodiles of 17 varieties, out of which four are endangered species
housed in the bank.

Well, if you come
across a similar proposal – would you be inclined to offer coverage ?